Is Mexico safe for Americans right now, state by state from the State Department

Mexico as a whole carries a Level 2 US travel advisory, “exercise increased caution” — but the State Department rates it state by state, and the range runs from do-not-travel to the lowest level it has. Six states are Level 4, including Guerrero, home to Acapulco. Two, Yucatán and Campeche, are Level 1, the same rating it gives Japan and Switzerland. The places most Americans actually go — Cancún and the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Mexico City — are all Level 2. That matters to a lot of people: in July alone, 1,692,593 US residents arrived as tourists beyond the border zone, 72% of all of them, according to Mexico’s statistics agency.

All 32 states, by level

Mexico has 31 states and a capital, and the advisory places every one of them. This is the current advisory, last reissued on 12 August 2025.

The advisory also asks US citizens to follow the rules it sets for its own staff everywhere in the country: no driving between cities after dark, taxis only from regulated stands or apps rather than hailed on the street, and no solo travel in remote areas.

Where the popular places actually sit

The resort corridors most Americans book are Level 2, and several famous names sit inside Level 4 states. That second half is what catches people out.

Two details are easy to miss. Guerrero’s rating explicitly covers its tourist towns — the advisory names Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Taxco and Ixtapa. And the Level 4 rating for Michoacán includes the parts of the Monarch Butterfly Reserve that lie inside that state, one of the country’s best-known winter attractions.

How to read a level that covers a whole state

A state’s level describes the state, not every street in it, and the advisory is written that way. Several Level 4 entries carve out named areas — central Mazatlán, the tourist core of Manzanillo — where US government staff may still go under conditions. That is a statement about where the State Department is prepared to send its own people, which is a useful benchmark, not a guarantee in either direction. It is also why a single headline “level” for Mexico tells you almost nothing about the week you have actually booked. We explained how the whole scale works in how many countries the US tells you not to visit.

Is Cancún safe for Americans?

Cancún is in Quintana Roo, which the State Department rates Level 2, exercise increased caution. It advises extra care after dark in downtown Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen, and staying in well-lit tourist zones.

Which Mexican states are Level 4?

Six: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas, in the advisory last reissued on 12 August 2025.

Is Acapulco safe to visit?

Acapulco is in Guerrero, a Level 4 do-not-travel state. The advisory names Acapulco specifically and says US government employees may not travel anywhere in Guerrero.

How many Americans visit Mexico?

In July 2026, 1,692,593 US residents entered Mexico as non-border tourists, 72.0% of the total, according to INEGI’s preliminary figures.

Sources: US Department of State, Mexico travel advisory (last reissued 12 August 2025), read from the Department’s own advisory feed on 21 September 2026; INEGI, Encuesta de Viajeros Internacionales, bulletin 592/26, 14 September 2026 (preliminary figures). Advisories change without notice — check the current one before booking.

Cover photo: Jorge Acre via Pexels (Pexels License). Section photos: Jimmy Elizarraras via Pexels (Pexels licence); Karim Hallab via Pexels (Pexels licence); Israyosoy S. via Pexels (Pexels licence).